Allergy Season

Goldenrod and thistles in full bloom. . . .

But precious little children are still out there.



And so are we!

Walking / Running in the Park

Summertime

In the county park . . .




Click on pictures to enlarge.

Summertime! Enjoying the fresh melons and organic berries. . . and other fresh fruit.

Making sure we get some good protein every time we eat:
ground bison, grass fed pesticide-free beef, organic free-range eggs and chicken, organic low fat yogurt, small amounts of a variety of nuts.

... And trying to work a few fresh local seasonal vegetables in to our menus.

Some supplements I'm taking right now:

D3 5,000 mg (in addition to a good supply of sunshine)
turmeric extract
NOW brand Thyroid Energy
COQ10
Resveratrol (in addition to eating those fresh organic grapes)
Rainbow Light, Active Seniors multivitamin
some calcium and magnesium when I think of it . . .

This past week Sweet Pea and I went to the park every day for an hour at around 7 or 7:30am and another hour at 5pm.
Temp at 5 was usually in the low to mid 80's with substantial humidity. Ugh.
We are training for . . . well, we are training for something I guess.
Also hoping to lose a little extra weight. Needing to travel a little lighter!

Providence Half / Age Group Award

This award arrived in the mail last week... much classier than it looks here.
The clever photo reveals no evidence of flabby flesh older than age 50!

My choice of dessert ... a fresh fruit bowl ... bare and undressed (that's a little plain yogurt on the side)

Last weekend we discovered a new route for a training run.
Minnesota is in bloom.

Missoula Marathon / Half Marathon - Delightful Community particpation and support!

Huge thanks to Sweet Pea for posting these pictures and taking many of them.

Great finisher's medals with double silk ribbons

Even the flowers were great for marathon weekend.

Hundreds of school children, ages 5-13, ran their final mile of a 26.2 mile year-long project, running a mile at a time throughout the year. With unmatched enthusiasm, some appeared to be as young as 5 years old.

Weather was just right for the outdoor expo, too. . . . .


. . . .And the Farmer's Market. Attractive organic berries and vegetables were offered.

One of Missoula's many parks, well-used on Saturday afternoon. . . .
(All pictures here can be enlarged with a click.)

Race morning was high-forties chilly. Sun on the mountains promised a beautiful day for a race. Pines lined the roads along the course on the way in to the city.

Missoula is graced with huge marvelous maples lining the streets. Small round abouts at intersections are alive with flowers.
More than the usual number of folks came out to support in residential areas. Here, and also in the finish area, families brought their children of all ages. Community support was unusually evident for marathon races events.

The Good Food store, a race sponsor, hosted a great spread of post-race food. The Good Food store rivals any "good food store" we have seen.

We FINISHED!
With plenty of time to finish and walkers welcome, it was heartening to see more than the usual number of amateur runners of every age, including over 65 groups.
Participation in the races contributes to the community spirit and general health of the people, I think!

The Clark Fork, which flows west and north from Missoula, is part of the Columbia River watershed. Water was unusually high for this time of year, as it was on the Yellowstone River which flows west across Montana to the Missouri River. Gives reality meaning to the predictions that global warming will cause more storms (greater snowfall) and higher water.
Across the river, see the restored Milwaukee train depot.

Don had a great marathon race.
Be sure to read his report of our marathon weekend. minnesotadon.blogspot.com

Casper Marathon / Half

Another half marathon age group award for Sunshine


Ready at the start line

Finisher's medals have a movable center

"Run with the Herd" in Wyoming
Shirts are long sleeved technical shirts


That's Sweet Pea at the finish enjoying some of the incredible offering of fresh fruits and vegetables. Food at the finish also included gluten and sugar kinds of treats and pizza.

The ARRL (American Radio Relay League) flag in the picture is on the truck of the licenced amateur radio operator who volunteered communication assistance.
Sweet Pea's grandfather was a ham radio volunteer at Grandma's Marathon in Duluth every year.


Be sure to see Make It a Masterpiece for a complete race report.

Rhode Island Races Finishers' Medals

Classy medals, complete with printed satin ribbon


They are mailing out the 3-deep age group awards.

Cox Rhodes Marathon/Half Marathon

Sunday, May 1, 2011, Providence, Rhode Island

That little box at the top of the windshield is a Easy Pass/ I-Pass transponder. It reads the tolls as you roll on through on the toll roads and charges you less than if you paid cash. It worked through every state.. to New Jersey a few weeks ago .... and to Rhode Island this week. It is truly a stress reliever.

We drove the race courses the day before the races. The half marathon led us north through old neighborhoods, along a pleasant boulevard, up and down many hills and back along the Seekonk River.


Race day dawned with a clear and cloudless sky.

We smeared on layers of Vanicream SPF 35 sport sunsreen from the Mayo Pharmacy (zinc oxide and octinoxate), hoping that is still the recommended skin protection.

Runners gathered in sight of the capitol building. At 10 minutes before the start, the National Anthem was sung, exactly as written.

A great day for the race

Spring was everywhere: daffodils, tulips, flowering trees.

A million cheers for the great volunteers.

A one-way street led down to the river.
Only on Gano coming back was traffic control NOT controlled, and vehicles sped by within a couple of feet of runners.

Marathon and half marathon runners came in on the same route, past a great number of encouraging signs, especially for Team in Training.
We especially cheer Team in Training runners, running in support of blood cancer research, including myeloma.

The marathon race course was laid out to the south along the harbor, much of it on a bike trail with delightful views.

The last mile leading to the finish, with trees bursting in flowers

Pizza at the finish, and for the marathoners, some pizza even before the finish.
Water and bananas, too, of course

Don was video taped running the marathon. Part of that video was shown this week at the myeloma conference in Paris. See his blog for details:
myelomahope.blogspot.com


Sweet Pea and Sunshine: running partners and finishers, with one more half marathon first in age group award for Sunshine.